re: #605 ~Fianna

Really good analysis.

One historical quibble - for most people abstinence until marriage wasn’t the default until the 19th c. Especially in rural areas, the ability to have kids was really important, so pregnant brides were more the norm than not. It became a social crisis post-industrial age. Too many young people were moving to the city, away from the protection of the small village awareness of what was going on when young people were “keeping company”. Normally, when a girl turned up pregnant, everyone in town knew who’s it was and if the boy wouldn’t step up to the plate, the rest of the men and the girl’s family would apply the pressure. Once people moved to town, that social system fell apart, but behavior didn’t change, so the rate of out of wedlock birth rose dramatically and became an issue.

Puritans in America had some similar ways of handling things. Women could and did sue for child support and “crying out” was legally binding. If an unmarried woman named the father during childbirth in front of witnesses, it was deemed undeniably true. There is a lot of testimony from women, particularly midwives, who were the general witnesses to childbirth and what was done/said.

Puritan culture was definitely not what it was stereotyped to be. It’s a really interesting era in history.

I have no problem with the Palins about the pregnancy. They did fine.

I am still mad at Bill O’Reilly, who trashed Britney Spears’ little sister and her parents when she got pregnant, and then gave the Palins a gracious pass.